Peace Day 2022
"Let's Build Peace Together!"
Slogan: “Let's Build Peace Together”
Scripture Readings:
"For he is our peace, in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us." Ephesians 2:14, (New Revised Standard Version)
Prayer: Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi
Lord make Me an instrument of Your peace
Where there is hatred let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness joy.
O Divine master
Grant that I may
Not so much seek to be consoled as to console
To be understood, as to understand.
To be loved. as to love
For it is in giving that we receive
And it is in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it is in dying that we are born...
To eternal life.
Amen.
Theme Song
What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong
Scripture Readings:
"For he is our peace, in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us." Ephesians 2:14, (New Revised Standard Version)
Prayer: Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi
Lord make Me an instrument of Your peace
Where there is hatred let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness joy.
O Divine master
Grant that I may
Not so much seek to be consoled as to console
To be understood, as to understand.
To be loved. as to love
For it is in giving that we receive
And it is in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it is in dying that we are born...
To eternal life.
Amen.
Theme Song
What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong
More Peace Songs
Read-Aloud Stories about Peace
- "Peace is the Way" ((for lower grades) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F62L1TaDIUk
- "I've Got Peace, Peace in My Fingers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu6e3ZfZ2s0 (for lower grades)
- I've Got Peace Like A River (for everyone) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6085sLXCMs
Read-Aloud Stories about Peace
- Peace is an Offering (for lower grades) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJHfYJH29x8
- The Peace Book (for everyone) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3fcJ1P4OcY
Activity: Peace Wall
Have students build a peace wall that will be mounted in their classroom or along a corridor or a prominent space in the school.
For the young ones, they may draw pictures of peace. The next age group up could also do pictures and add a sentence or words the represent peace. The older ones could write several sentences and illustrate their paragraph.
Have them do their work on a piece of paper that would represent a brick.
Use the "bricks" to create the wall.
Have students build a peace wall that will be mounted in their classroom or along a corridor or a prominent space in the school.
For the young ones, they may draw pictures of peace. The next age group up could also do pictures and add a sentence or words the represent peace. The older ones could write several sentences and illustrate their paragraph.
Have them do their work on a piece of paper that would represent a brick.
Use the "bricks" to create the wall.
The Message
Building something is a process. Take, for example, a house. Building a house often begins with a blueprint. This blueprint helps the builder know how big to make the house, what materials to use, and the design of the house. The blueprint guides those who are building to construct the house according to a certain design using the proper materials and measurements. If the builders faithfully follow the blueprint, then all will go well.
Building peace is much like building a house. In this case, our blueprint is the life and teachings of Jesus. The Apostle Paul reminds us that Jesus is “our peace” (Ephesians 2:14), and as “our peace”, his life and ministry show us how to build peace. In essence, the way Jesus lived and how He taught us to live provides us the necessary material we need to be builders of peace.
To be builders of peace we first need to have peace in our hearts. Often, our hearts can be filled with anger, hostility, vengeance, and the need to get back at others. We often think that when we act on these feelings, we will finally have peace. But on the contrary, when we act on these feelings, we often have less peace. The first step towards being a builder of peace is allowing God’s love in Jesus to heal our hearts and bring peace to our souls. To live each day knowing we are deeply loved by God regardless of our past failures, mistakes, and actions is to live with a deep sense of peace.
Every building needs a good foundation, and living with a heart that knows the peace of God is an important foundation. From this foundation of having a life that is at peace with God, we can then be builders of peace through very specific actions. These actions are like the building material that help to construct a world of peace. These actions include forgiveness and reconciliation. They also include such daily actions as offering an apology, offering an act of kindness, or offering a simple act of service. Sometimes these actions may take the form of speaking on behalf of those who are suffering or oppressed. At other times, these actions may involve intentionally addressing the physical needs in the form of hunger or even medical help. And there are times when violence and conflict do take place. In those moments, we need peace builders that will step in and offer their presence in ways that will help mediate reconciliation and advocate for a better way.
All of these acts of compassion serve to help build peace through bringing shalom to our world.
Shalom is a Hebrew word that simply means “wholeness” or “flourishing”. It is a peace built on the foundation of wholeness in which everyone has an opportunity to flourish and reach their fullest potential. Unfortunately, division and violence are often the fruit of a world frustrated with feeling marginalised, forgotten, and rejected. When we experience these emotions, we often feel that our only resource is to fight back and try to get what we feel is rightly ours. In a world where only a few seem to have all the resources, those who feel left out will try to take back what they feel they should have. Often, this is done through violence and aggressive means. A world built around peace – shalom – seeks to build a world that is whole in which everyone is treated with dignity and respect. It is a world in which we recognise “that of God” in everyone we meet.
In our world, there are often dividing walls. At present, there is the threat of war between Russia and Ukraine. In cities around the world, neighbourhoods feel threatened by gang violence. In families, there are sometimes the dividing walls of anger and bitterness. Even in congregations, there can be the dividing walls of pride and power. These dividing walls keep us from being able to know each other on a human level and work to build a better world. The Apostle Paul reminds us, though, that the Living Christ is our peace. Through his life, teachings, death, and resurrection He has broken down these walls and opened up the way for all of us to experience reconciliation and build peace. Divisions no longer need to exist. God’s love has come to break down these dividing walls and build a better world. You and I can be these builders of peace. We can be these builders of a better world.
Building something is a process. Take, for example, a house. Building a house often begins with a blueprint. This blueprint helps the builder know how big to make the house, what materials to use, and the design of the house. The blueprint guides those who are building to construct the house according to a certain design using the proper materials and measurements. If the builders faithfully follow the blueprint, then all will go well.
Building peace is much like building a house. In this case, our blueprint is the life and teachings of Jesus. The Apostle Paul reminds us that Jesus is “our peace” (Ephesians 2:14), and as “our peace”, his life and ministry show us how to build peace. In essence, the way Jesus lived and how He taught us to live provides us the necessary material we need to be builders of peace.
To be builders of peace we first need to have peace in our hearts. Often, our hearts can be filled with anger, hostility, vengeance, and the need to get back at others. We often think that when we act on these feelings, we will finally have peace. But on the contrary, when we act on these feelings, we often have less peace. The first step towards being a builder of peace is allowing God’s love in Jesus to heal our hearts and bring peace to our souls. To live each day knowing we are deeply loved by God regardless of our past failures, mistakes, and actions is to live with a deep sense of peace.
Every building needs a good foundation, and living with a heart that knows the peace of God is an important foundation. From this foundation of having a life that is at peace with God, we can then be builders of peace through very specific actions. These actions are like the building material that help to construct a world of peace. These actions include forgiveness and reconciliation. They also include such daily actions as offering an apology, offering an act of kindness, or offering a simple act of service. Sometimes these actions may take the form of speaking on behalf of those who are suffering or oppressed. At other times, these actions may involve intentionally addressing the physical needs in the form of hunger or even medical help. And there are times when violence and conflict do take place. In those moments, we need peace builders that will step in and offer their presence in ways that will help mediate reconciliation and advocate for a better way.
All of these acts of compassion serve to help build peace through bringing shalom to our world.
Shalom is a Hebrew word that simply means “wholeness” or “flourishing”. It is a peace built on the foundation of wholeness in which everyone has an opportunity to flourish and reach their fullest potential. Unfortunately, division and violence are often the fruit of a world frustrated with feeling marginalised, forgotten, and rejected. When we experience these emotions, we often feel that our only resource is to fight back and try to get what we feel is rightly ours. In a world where only a few seem to have all the resources, those who feel left out will try to take back what they feel they should have. Often, this is done through violence and aggressive means. A world built around peace – shalom – seeks to build a world that is whole in which everyone is treated with dignity and respect. It is a world in which we recognise “that of God” in everyone we meet.
In our world, there are often dividing walls. At present, there is the threat of war between Russia and Ukraine. In cities around the world, neighbourhoods feel threatened by gang violence. In families, there are sometimes the dividing walls of anger and bitterness. Even in congregations, there can be the dividing walls of pride and power. These dividing walls keep us from being able to know each other on a human level and work to build a better world. The Apostle Paul reminds us, though, that the Living Christ is our peace. Through his life, teachings, death, and resurrection He has broken down these walls and opened up the way for all of us to experience reconciliation and build peace. Divisions no longer need to exist. God’s love has come to break down these dividing walls and build a better world. You and I can be these builders of peace. We can be these builders of a better world.